Educate me on the 35 mm Summicron, Version 4

[sc_rufctr]

I've been lusting after a 35mm Summilux but there's a mint 35mm Summicron for sale locally for a fair price.

It's the type four or 7 element version. I don't know the serial number but I do know the serial number is not engraved on the front ring.
And wow is it small. Smaller than my 21 mm Super Angulon and it's Canadian made.

I would mainly use it for walking around and informal portraits.
I also have a DR Summicron that I love and thought this would compliment it.

Just one concern. Some of these type 4s have 3 internal parts that are made of plastic. Are they reliable?

I've heard a lot of good things about this lens. I've also spent a lot of time in this great thread.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97129

Thanks in advance.

 

[tunalegs]

I think the only plastic parts are the focus knob and the part of the aperture mech. If you search the forum you will find complaints of the focus knob breaking, but that won't ruin the lens of course.

 

[Lflex]

Nice lens it its own right, but if the "fair price" you are talking about is anywhere near the current market rate, I would say that it is seriously overpriced IMO.
The lens is feels almost cheap when compared with the previous version, and yes it has some plastic innards:
http://photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00Xqaq

 

[Teashop]

I have had mine since the lens was current. I've cycled over the Alps with it, flown with it in 'high g' manoeuvres in a fast jet, carried it daily for many years and never had any problems. It has a very particular signature-'painterly' out of focus areas at wide aperture and visibly sharper as you stop down. It's key attribute for me has always been it's diminutive size. I have the last version summilux asph, but the V4 is often just more practical to carry around and would be the one I'd keep if I had to choose between them. The best answer is to try it and see if it works for you too. Good luck!

 

[rlouzan]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127526

 

[filmfan]

I am about to suggest the obvious alternative-- Voigtlander Skopar 35mm f/2.5

 

[sc_rufctr]

I am about to suggest the obvious alternative-- Voigtlander Skopar 35mm f/2.5

Thanks but I need F2 at a minimum. Night shots in clubs and on the street.

Voigtlander make great lenses and gear.

 

[clayne]

Not much to talk about here, the Summicron 35mm f/2.0 v4 is a well known great lens.


Stasiun Bandung by kediwah, on Flickr

 

[Richard G]

I have had mine for nearly twenty years. Very happy with it. There is an internal plastic component, but the complaints of it being badly made are exaggerated and some of the more horrific stories of it falling apart are thought by some experts to be due to the lens being mounted and unmounted by gripping the lens hood. That is not a good idea.

It is tiny. To me that is its chief advantage.

See this thread posted by an expert repairer on photo.net:

http://photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00Xqaq

 

[sc_rufctr]

CLAYNE.... really? ----- WOW.

Thanks 😀

 

[sanmich]

I think the main advantage of the V4 is its size.
But the v3 is good too in that regard, and much cheaper, and if you want excellent glass and are ready to get a bigger lens, I would suggest the Biogon or Hexanon.

So it all depends on price. what deal are you considering?

 

[Richard G]

I got a little bored with mine and prefer the C Biogon 2.8 Zeiss during the day. I was not so impressed by the bokeh of the 'bokeh king.'

 

[sc_rufctr]

I think the main advantage of the V4 is its size.
But the v3 is good too in that regard, and much cheaper, and if you want excellent glass and are ready to get a bigger lens, I would suggest the Biogon or Hexanon.

So it all depends on price. what deal are you considering?

Asking $1,900 but I'll make an offer and see what happens. (It's on consignment)

But it's almost like new. Glass is perfect. No wear on the body and no rub marks. All fonts are clean and crisp.

 

[Richard G]

Needs the hood. It can flare. Good protection. The dedicated hood is also very small and it just stays on all the time. A Biogon and hood, which might be unnecessary, is a whole lot bigger. Love the bayonet Zeiss hoods.

You started not knowing so much (?) that you might have been able to walk away from the deal. Do too much homework on Summicrons and this one in particular and you'll just have to have it. I won't sell mine, but I would not now buy it again. There was a lovely 35 ASPH Summicron, chrome, here in the classifieds recently for $2200. I'd have bought that.

 

[sleepyhead]

I have one, love it for it's small size, character of the images, and my copy is extremely sharp. It is my only 35mm lens (I traded my 35mm f/1.4 ASPH last year for a 28mm Summicron). I got the summicron perhaps 8 years ago, when prices were quite low.

It is expensive today, and I don't know if I could justify buying one (depends on your budget). If I was on a low bugdet, I would get a CV 35/2.5. Medium budget, a version 2 or 3 Summicron or a Zeiss 35/2 Biogon.

 

[ottluuk]

Thanks but I need F2 at a minimum. Night shots in clubs and on the street.

Voigtlander make great lenses and gear.

Voigtländer also makes a 35/1.4 (supposedly a pretty straight copy of the non-asph Summilux) and a big 35/1.2, both quite affordable compared to the hype king 🙄

And then there´s the Canon 35/2 LTM, Konica UC-Hexanon, Nikkor 35/1.8 (rare in LTM but sometimes cheaper than the popular Summicron variants). Basically there´s just one good reason to buy the v. 4 Summicron at the current prices: "Just because you want to". Other lenses will draw ever-so-slightly different images but the viewers won´t care...

 

[Range-rover]

I had that lens, it's a nice lens I sold it for $1200.00, it was good
but if I was going back to Leica again I would get the version 3
I just thought it's build better, but for $1900.00 I would seriously
look around for something else.


Range

 

[RFluhver]

Question: if the v4 had plastic parts, does the Asph have any? And what about that black paint Asph which, I think, was brass and released in year 2000?

 

[John Cox]

Voigtländer also makes a 35/1.4 (supposedly a pretty straight copy of the non-asph Summilux) and a big 35/1.2, both quite affordable compared to the hype king 🙄

And then there´s the Canon 35/2 LTM, Konica UC-Hexanon, Nikkor 35/1.8 (rare in LTM but sometimes cheaper than the popular Summicron variants). Basically there´s just one good reason to buy the v. 4 Summicron at the current prices: "Just because you want to". Other lenses will draw ever-so-slightly different images but the viewers won´t care...

Are they that similar?

 

[sc_rufctr]

Question: if the v4 had plastic parts, does the Asph have any? And what about that black paint Asph which, I think, was brass and released in year 2000?

Good question but until you take apart the newer lenses there's now way to know.

But does it matter? If they're using high quality well engineered plastic parts then there should be no problem.
FWIW. Nikon/Cannon make some great lenses that are mostly polymer.